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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MN Tribal Colleges: State Support Could Elevate Campuses

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Friday, April 14, 2023   

Tribal colleges not only teach students, they're also institutions that maintain Native American languages and cultural history. In Minnesota, these schools hope the Legislature gives them a funding boost.

A bill this session would set aside $3 million in each year of the next biennium. The state's three tribal colleges could apply for grants, for general operation and maintenance expenses.

Leech Lake Tribal College President Helen Montgomery said it would be transformative for her school. She said it could use funds to add more learning space and get up-to-date resources for STEM courses.

"Certainly, a lot of the learning that we do is outside, and we do have programs that teach an Indigenous perspective on not just science, but the environment," she said. "It would be really great to have some modern equipment."

She said the funds could also help remove student-aid barriers, and provide staff a cost-of-living wage increase she described as long overdue. Tribal colleges get most of their funding from the federal government, and leaders say it covers only the bare minimum. The House bill currently doesn't have a hearing scheduled and it's unclear if other priorities will keep it from advancing.

Montgomery said helping schools such as hers allows them to keep offering a culturally inclusive environment where Native students can ease into the college setting. She said these individuals don't have to feel isolated as they navigate their higher-education path.

"We would be able to hire personnel or create experiences that help our students bridge the tribal-college setting to the four-year setting," she said.

According to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 41% of first-time, full-time Native American students attending four-year colleges graduate within six years, compared with 63% for all students.


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